, 1887-04-07
CUSTOMS OF rHg JAPANESE.


and japanese resemble each other. They
are affiliated in blood, but he could almost
say that the Americans resemble the
Chinese more thar do their insular
neiGhbors. The rude, hurrying crowds
upon the Chinese streets, the bustling
mercantile spirit, the customs of the
table, the architecture-almost every
popularity in detail, when held up and
compared with those of the japanese,
show that the Chinese resemble Ameri-
cans moro closely than they do their
Mongol neighbors.
The japanese do not, as their tradi-
tons say, come from the sun, but are the
result of an admixture of many bloods
from many sources. The Chinese would,
as one has said. ''hold dear ut a platter
of rice a single fact as to the causes of
things" The japanese seek constantly
for %cauSation, and their strength comes
from the constant search for reasons,
while the Chinese are content to accept
results without question. The japanese,
in politeness, gentleness, kindliness, and
all that makes life sweet and graceful,
are as far in advance of us as we are of
the Terra del Fuegeans. The japanese
have really two different languages.
They speak a polysyllabic and write a
monosyllabic language. AS if we were
to speak in English and write in Greek.
They cannot speak their written Ian
guagc. When a japanese youth leaves
school at 1S he knows perhaps 5000 or
5000 words, each representing a distinct
idea. Later, if he studies, he may know
10, 900 or 12, 900. If he becomes a pro-
found student he will master so, 900 or
60, 900. The written language is simply
an archaic Chinese.
The speaker then described the political
status of the mikado, the 121st monarch
of his name, and the social distinctions of
the empire. The records of the dynasty
are scarcely valuable, as the priests of the
days when Buddhism first gained a hear
ing in Japan tempered with their records
III order to give their church an antiquity
equal to that claimed for Buddha. Tn,
present mikado is the first of twenty
rulers who has been known to set his foot
upon the ground, or upon whose face the
vulgar have ever been allowed to look.
In Japan, the farmer stands above the
merchant, the teacher above the farmer,
and the Samri-at one the fighters,
poets and artists-highest among the com
moners. Below the merchants are the
laborers, the coolies on the street and,
lowest Of all, a class of outlaws.
The japanese are at all times polite
they never have an impolite mood.
American slapping on the back and chow
are you, Bill, " ann are utterly in
comprehensive to them. japanese do
not kiss, shake hands or embrace. They
simply bow, sometimes for five minutes
at a time. Their bows are so nicely grad
uated as 70 express a wide range of sen
hment. They are never petulant, and
they laugh when they see an American
lose his temper. They never swear
they have nothing to swear with. They
haven't even the feminine profanity of
''Oh, my!" ''good gracious" OF dear
me- Eating upon the street is consid-
cred Il rudeness, even among children
and the very poor. 1t is not only rude to
contradict another, but rude to have a
different opinion. This has its disadvan-
tages, especially when one is in search of
information. as no one will be impolite
enough to correct his errors. Women
are the servants at their own tables, as
they do not sit with their husbands or
neighbors. 1t is rude to c~riticise food or
service at a hotel or restaurant. There
every conner is a guest as If at a privnte
house.
No matter how pressing ones business
at a house, it is rude 10 mention it until
the very last thing, and then only Incl
dentally. The same is true of a letter.
There may be a roll of paper sixteen feet
long, with fifteen feet and nine inche1
of humbug, and three inches of business,
the only thing for which the letter is
written.
No woman is ever insulted or even an
noyed on the street. A lady may travel
by night or day, unattended, throughout
Japan quite safe from any affront. Kind
ness to animals is universal, and has be-
come proverbial. Crows are the scaven-
gers upon the city streets, and are never
harmed. Birds build in city houses; wild
fowl alight in the ponds of the parks. If
a dog goes to sleep in the busiest street.
the crowd will turn aside rather han dis.
turb him. A dog does not know what is
meant when q stone is thrown at it. In
q busy village street in the inland sea, the
speaker has walked with the wild deer
which has come in from the forest trott-
ing, at either side of him, waiting for the
rinds of the watermelon which he was
eating. The people study nature with q
true artistic instinct which shows its eff
feet in their wonderful skill in the me-
chanical arts. The japanese have neither
corns nor other ''miseries' of the feet,
and have wonderful command of their
toes for various useful purposes, which
speaks well for their shoes.
The partitions in japanese houses are
simply movable screens, and not only
can these be removed and all the room9
thrown into one, but most of the outer
walls may also be taken out, and in hot
weather the family inhabits an open, airy
position. In speaking of household mat
!srs, the speaker referred to the charming
diversity of finish and ornamentation.
the exquisite finish, the entire absence Of
stiffness and formality and the bilateral
monstrosities which mark the arrange
ment of so many of our houses.
The speaker said that for u Japanese to
come to an American table and see a
man heaving at a CORY Liece of meat
with n knife is al experience peculiarly
horrible. Knives are unknown upon
japanese tables. The chopsticks are uni
versal, and they have some decided ad-
vantages over knives and forks Detroit
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